Tracy Maxwell: Should Ohio institute a fracking moratorium? | Yes

I, more than anyone, am a champion of economic development and putting Ohioans back to work, but not at the risk of their safety and the long-term health of this state.

I, more than anyone, am a champion of economic development and putting Ohioans back to work, but not at the risk of their safety and the long-term health of this state.

Opponents of a fracking moratorium such as U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., will tell you, “ There are no documented cases of groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing,” and that “ hydraulic fracturing is a safe production technique that is thoroughly regulated by the states. We have a 60-year history to prove it.”

Inhofe and his supporters are telling only the partial truth. While hydraulic fracturing has been around for the past 60 years, horizontal fracturing (which is what is taking place in Ohio) has been around only since 1990, when it was first used on Barnett Shale in Texas.

Twenty years of using a poorly regulated fracturing technique is not something we should champion in Ohio. This state must take its time to examine this industry, the fracking techniques and the proper regulations that are needed to make this a safe environment for this new industry and the people of Ohio.

We do not know the long-term effects this drilling process will have on our environment. However, what we do know is the toxic wastewater or frac water can flow back to the surface in drilling.

This wastewater contains high levels of barium and strontium, and is very salty. The disposal of this wastewater has been linked to earthquakes, including those in the Mahoning Valley, as well as in Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, they are beginning to see the effects of hydraulic fracking without proper regulation. Eight different properties in one northeast Pennsylvania county are said to have contaminated drinking water, and sadly the effects of this contamination are being seen in our youth — a child in one of these families is showing neurological symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic substances. In western Pennsylvania, water testing on one farm near gas wells owned by Atlas Energy found arsenic at 2,600 times the acceptable levels, benzene at 44 times above acceptable limits and mercury and selenium also above safe levels.

We also know that unburned natural gas is a powerful greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change, and one molecule of leaked gas can contribute as much to global warming as 25 molecules of burned gas. According to Hal Harvey, founder of the ClimateWorks Foundation and an advisory-board member for the Department of Energy, if fracking systems leak by just 2.5 percent, they are as bad as coal.

Placing a moratorium on fracking does not mean there will be no fracking, it simply means we need to take a step back and wait until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is done with its study (commissioned by Congress) in 2014. If we wait, we can put the proper guidelines and regulations in place to ensure that this industry is safe and that the jobs created go to Ohioans and not workers from other states. We also must make sure the leases and agreements are fair to landowners; we need partnerships, not pillaging. If we accomplish that, we will have done a great justice for our residents, our economy and our environment.

Jim Rohn, an entrepreneur, once said, “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” Let’s take the time, and make sure we don’t look back in the years to come and wish we had done more to ensure public safety and long-term economic success. I urge that we slow down and harness the full potential of this economic resource without compromising our state or the safety of our residents. Let’s put people before profits.

Tracy Maxwell Heard is the Minority Whip in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing Ohio’s 26th House District.